Seeing is Believing
by blackbeltchic
Summary: Buffy's cousin didn't die of the flu when she was eight, they were in a car accident. And though Buffy got away with her life, she lost something very important to the now teen, her chance for a normal life.
1. Chapter 1

Seeing is Believing

**Author**: Karen  
**Disclaimer**: I do not own the characters, they belong to Joss Whedon, Mutant Enemy and ect.  
**Summary**: Buffy's cousin didn't die of the flu when she was eight-they were in a car accident. And though Buffy got away with her life, she lost something very important to the now teen- her chance for a normal life.  
**Author's Notes**: This I got from a challenge, but I'm not posting the full challenge because I'm not following it. I'm using the main idea, and making things more believable...  
I am also going to be making up two semi-major characters, both of which can be found in my original stories, so I guess this could be called a crossover. Also, while the guide dog school in this story is a true place, I've never been there, so I'm making up all of the descriptive details. I have never gone through the process of getting a guide dog, so I'm making up what I could not find out on the school's website. And though my eye sight is bad enough I run into things and fall down stairs without my glasses, I'm not blind, so the way I portray things might be so totally off from what it's really like. I'm sorry for any discrepancies I might make; I'll try my hardest to make this as plausible as it can be, with a blind slayer.  
**Spoilers**: If you haven't seen the first season, then don't read this.  
**Distribution**: If you want, please ask.  
**Feedback**: A must.  
**Dedication**: I want to dedicate this to Rachael.

ORIGINAL CHALLENGE:  
Buffy - Blind Challenge  
Premise: What if Buffy lost her sight when she was a child but still became a slayer when she was 15 years old.

* * *

"Mom?" she called, walking down the hall, her hand trailing on the chair railing, in the direction of the kitchen.

"In the kitchen!" her mother called.

"I've got my bag packed," she said, coming to the doorway.

"Good. Sit down, breakfast's almost ready," she said, setting a plate on the table. Buffy made her way to the table, sat in her chair and picked up her fork and knife. Using the two utensils, she methodically ate the scrambled eggs and home fries.

"Are you sure you're ready for this, Buffy?" her mother asked, sitting across the small table from her.

"Yes, Mom. It's time to get my life back," she told her, "I know that since the accident, things have been tough. But I can't depend on you for the rest of my life, and you can't keep working around me. I'm 16, Mom. If I do this, we do this, then we can get on with our lives."

Her mother nodded, then, as an afterthought, said, "You're right. But are you sure you want to go by yourself, I mean New York is a long ways away-"

"Mom, I'll be fine, don't worry about me. You'll be coming out in 28 days, and in 31 we'll be back home, getting ready for one final adjustment."

"Actually, that might not be completely true," Her mother looked at her daughter even though she didn't look back, "I've been thinking, Buffy. Since the divorce, things have been tough, and I've been having a hard time getting a job that I enjoy. About a month ago I went and checked out a space. I put in a bid, and I was accepted."

"That's great, Mom!" she said, lifting her head up to acknowledge her mother as she knew she liked her to, before going back to her food.

"And I know that we just got this place…" she looked around, "livable, but this space, it's a ways away."

"Mom, if you want to move, it's fine with me. You've given up so much for me, I can make a few changes in my routine for you."

"Are you sure, Buffy? You'll have to get used to a new school, and a new town. But it's a small town, there's really not much town," she laughed softly.

"Mom, don't worry about it. I'll be fine. This is great. Everything's looking up." Her mother flinched at her choice of words, but Buffy didn't notice as she finished her eggs, cleaned up her place. Then she stood, her plate in her hands.

"Buffy, let me do that-"

"Mom, I can do it," she chided her mother softly, safely navigating around the small island in the middle of the small kitchen, placing the plate into the sink, a bit harder than she meant to, but she got it there safely. Happy, she turned, "I'm going to go get dressed, okay?"

"Do you need help?" Joyce asked, standing.

Buffy heard the scraping of the chair across the hardwood floor, and inwardly shook her head, "Mom, I can still get dressed on my own." She turned, found the doorway and walked down the hall to her room. Closing the door behind her, she turned to her dresser, feeling along the edges for the labels she had placed there. She thought a moment about her mood, and then she pulled open the third drawer from the bottom, running her hands over the shirts, before choosing one. Then she pulled open the bottom drawer and pulling out a pair of jeans.

After she got dressed in the yellow peasant top and jeans, she pulled her large purse from behind her door, grabbing her oversized backpack from her bed. Then she opened the door and followed the chair railing back into the kitchen. On the way, she hit the button on her watch, which declared the time.

"Mom, I'm ready. The plane leaves in two hours," she called.

"I know, do you need help taking your stuff out to the car?"

"I've got it, Mom."

"Do you have enough to keep you busy on the plane?" her mom asked.

"Yes, Mom. We went to the store last Wednesday, remember? After I met with Dr. Rinaldi."

"I know, I know. I just worry about you is all. You know that."

"Yeah, Mom. I do. But you don't have to worry about me anymore, not after this trip to New York."

Her mother wrapped her arms around her, and though she hadn't known she was there, she let her Mom hug her, knowing she needed to, not totally ready to let her baby go just yet.

She passed through security and boarded the plane without any problems, and it wasn't long before they were in the air. She had the first seat, a window seat, and she knew that there was a person sitting in the aisle seat, with one seat between them, but she didn't speak to him as she settled her things and pulled out one of her books.

Her books had become her solace after the accident that had stolen her cousin away from her, among other things. After she had relearned to read, that is. Her life had changed so much that night. It hadn't even been her aunt's fault, and she didn't blame her for the incident. She still just didn't understand why something like this could happen, even ten years later.

She had spent long hours in the hospital after the accident, and years in rehab, relearning to do all the things she once knew. She had lost touch with friends, going to a special school to help her deal with the accident and the changes it had wrought. When she went back to mainstream schooling her freshman year of high school, no one had recognized her, no one had remembered her. It didn't help that she was two years behind. All her old friends were now juniors, and wouldn't socialize with a normal freshman, never mind her.

She shook her head slightly, dispelling the past and the images it brought, instead deciding to focus on the book in her lap. She opened the cover, smoothing it back, making a hard crease in the spine, before she set her fingers to the page. This was an older book, and she could feel the age in the way the paper felt; it was thicker, smoother than new pages. Soon she was lost in the world the words created, her fingers skimming skillfully across the page as she read about a murder mystery. Her mother hated her to read such depressing books, but she adored them, especially when they had a bit of supernatural in them.

"What are you-is that-?" the voice came from beside her, and she stopped the flow of her fingers on the page, turning her face to the voice, even though she couldn't see the man.

"It's Braille," she told him.

"So then you're…"

"I'm blind," she finished the sentence for him.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two

"I'm sorry to hear that," he said after a moment, and she could hear in his voice that he had no clue what to say to her, had never conversed with someone who couldn't see him.

"I thank you for your condolences," she told him, even though she had long gotten over the loss of her sight. When he didn't say anything for several minutes, she skimmed her fingers over the dots, trying to find her place. Once found, she continued to read.

"Hi, Mom, it's me," she said into the cell phone her father had given her for Christmas, "the plane landed in New York without any troubles, and I've collected my luggage-" she heard her name being called, "I've got to go, I'll call you once I reach the school. Love you, bye!" She hung up the phone then turned towards the voice, knowing it would be easier for him to find her than her to go looking for him. The white cane was a dead give away.

"Miss Summers?" a man's voice asked, slightly to her right, and she turned.

"Yes?"

"I'm Eric, from Guiding Eyes. Have you collected all of your luggage?"

"Yes," she said.

"Then let's get going. We've got quite a drive until we get to Yorktown Heights, where the school is located. It's pretty crowded, would you like me to lead you?"

"Okay." His elbow bumped her left hand, and quickly she folded up her cane and tucked it into her purse before taking his elbow. With her right hand she fixed the positioning of her dark, yet stylish, sunglasses as he led her through the crowd.

Once they were at the vehicle, which he said was a van with the Guiding Eyes logo on it, a Yellow Lab puppy with alphabet blocks around it, he took her things and put them into the back while she climbed into the front seat. Once she heard the back hatch slam shut, and then his car door open and then close, she said softly, "Thank you."

"For what, Miss Summers?" he asked, turning the key in the ignition, his key chains jingling against each other.

"For not treating me like an invalid," she said, a bit embarrassed she had said anything, "And call me Buffy, please."

"Why would I? Guiding Eyes was built on a promise to help visually impaired people live complete, independent lives. I believe in the beliefs of the organization," he told her, backing the van up.

"Let me tell you a story," he said, as she felt the car turn left, "My father signed up for the war six months before I was born. He didn't know my mother was pregnant, or else he probably wouldn't have gone. While over in Europe, he was wounded, and as a result, he lost his eyesight. My father was a proud man, and he ran into more things than I did learning to walk as he learned how to get around without his sight. But he never took any help from anyone. My mother worked to support the family, and it killed him, but it wasn't until around 1960 did he look into getting a guide dog. He got one, and it changed his life." She could feel his eyes on her for a moment, before he began to speak again. "And since then I've seen so many men and women, proud, strong, independent, who just needed that edge that a guide dog gives to get themselves out of the slump they were in. And it's worked every time." She could hear the smile in his voice, and she smiled, turning her face to him for a moment, before she turned it back to the front.

"It was a really long flight, do you mind if I…"

"Go right ahead. We've got two hours yet before we get there."

"Thanks." She laid her head back against the seat. She closed her eyes, and before she knew it, the car was turning right onto a gravel road, and she sat up. "A-Are we th-here?"

"Yes, welcome Buffy, to Guiding Eyes For the Blind," she could hear the smile in his voice, how proud he was of the school, and she settled back into her seat with a sigh. She was here, there was no turning back now.

After parking, Eric led her to her room for her stay, showed her where the bathroom and kitchen were, and at her request, he gave her a brief tour of the kennels. The noise shocked her, with so many dogs barking at once, coming from all sides, and for the first time in her life, she felt claustrophobic. Eric quickly read her reaction correctly and led her out, and soon after he left her to wander the grounds on her own.

It was three days after her arrival when she was called into an office. In those three days she had met a few of the staff, had a conversation with one or two of them, and some of the other people getting guide dogs.

"Buffy," a warm voice said as she entered the office, and a warm hand took her free one and shook her hand, "I'm Georgia, I will be your trainer while you are here. Please, sit down," the woman led her to a chair, and through her voice alone, Buffy knew she was going to like this woman.

"After reviewing your application, as well as the meetings you've had with some of the staff-"

"I haven't met with anyone-" she started to protest, but Georgia interrupted her.

"I've talked with Eric, Greg, Cameron, all members of staff you've met."

"I didn't realize I was being interrogated," she said, feeling a bit hurt.

"Oh, please don't be offended," Georgia rushed, "We like to match our dogs and students by personality as best as we can so the team will work as well as it possibly can together. You can't get as much personality as we're looking for from an application. But we've decided to pair you with Jada. She's a feisty little 55-pound German Shepherd. She has the classic black and tan coat, and she's really a sweetie. I know that on the application, your mom expressed some issues with safety, I want to assure you that all our dogs wouldn't harm anyone intentionally-"

"That's not what she meant," she interrupted, "She still doesn't trust me to be independent, and she's worried that someone, seeing that I have a guide dog, may take advantage of me, harm me in some way."

"Well, all of our dogs readily bond with their new owners, so I don't think that will be a problem. We've never had a graduate attacked, but I believe that a German Shepherd, one of the most prevalent breeds used in police work, may deter anyone from harming you."

"Thank you. When do I get to meet Jada?" she asked.

"Our first class is tomorrow morning, you can meet her then, how does that sound?"

Over the next three weeks, Buffy worked with Georgia and Jada, and sometimes another guide dog team, either on the school grounds, in the neighboring towns, they even took a trip in to New York City to test what they had learned with big city traffic. Jada was so very sweet and gentle with Buffy. Buffy was sure that when her Mom showed up for graduation, her Mom would love Jada just as much as she was starting to love the dog.

But when she got there, her mother wasn't happy with the dog, "How is this puny thing supposed to keep you safe?" she asked. The disdain in her voice was like a slap to Buffy, and their relationship was strained for the rest of the trip.

She graduated from the guide dog school on schedule. At graduation, she got to meet Jada's raisers, a nice family from New Hampshire. The family had cried when seeing Jada again after, she learned later, being separated for almost two years, and Buffy could feel the tension in Jada's shoulders at seeing her family, but the dog never left her side. After she graduated, she went home with her mother, to finish packing her things and moving to another town. During the nights she couldn't sleep, she used the computer software her therapist had given her to go online. One night, she found a site that seemed like it was going to fix all of their problems. Her mother wouldn't have to worry about her safety any more.

But then the next semester started at the new high school she would be attending, so she put off telling her mother her findings, until she had gotten used to the school. Having a guide dog was awesome. Instead of tripping people up with her cane, running into people, the dog navigated her through the traffic. It almost seemed like people saw the dog coming and moved out of her way. There were no more incidents of falling down the stairs, or tripping other people. The school year was looking up. Until she had to go to the library to get some textbooks.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three

She found her way to the library her second full day of school. After pushing open the large double doors, she called a welcome to anyone that might be inside. A voice that sounded like it belonged to a middle aged British man answered her.

"Buffy Summers?" the voice asked.

She nodded, "Yes." Jada led her up to the counter and sat. After feeling around and bumping her fingers against the hard surface, Buffy leaned against the counter slightly, trying to go for normal.

"I've been waiting for you."

"You have?" her surprise was evident in her voice. Could they have told him she was coming? Did they maybe have the special textbooks she needed? Or at least the text books on tape until the other ones arrived? They had known almost a month in advance that she was going to be attending the school.

"We've been searching for you for the past month. There were no records of you attending school this year, not until you moved here."

"I was sick," she said, a partial truth. "My mom decided to home school me," she explained, while the truth was she had home schooled herself. She had always had some light perception in her left eye, but the muscles had deteriorated from lack of use, and had caused excruciating pain, so she had stayed home, read the books on her reading list, and waited until she could have surgery to remove her eye. And then she had to get fitted for a fake eye, and then she had gone to get a guide dog, so school had pretty much not been an option. "Who's we?"

"The Council of Watchers," he told her, "Every generation, a slayer is born. Only she will have the strength and skill to fight the vampires, the demons, and stop the spread of their numbers. You are her."

She knew her face registered surprise, she knew her mouth was hanging open, but she didn't know what to say. "You're crazy," was the first thing that popped out of her mouth.

"On the contrary," while he had moved near her, she now heard him move away, as he continued to talk. Quickly, she silently got Jada's attention and left.

He returned from his office, only to find her gone. Perplexed, he rushed out into the hallway, dismayed to notice that classes were changing, and there were a number of students milling about in the halls. He thought he saw a swish of blonde hair go around the corner, and he rushed to catch up. But when he turned the corner, she was gone, swallowed up by the crowd.

She headed directly outside, knowing her next period was lunch. She followed the path a little ways, before stepping onto the grass. She stood there a moment, wondering if there were any benches or tables nearby that she could sit at and eat her lunch.

"Hey!" she heard over the din of others talking, and she could hear someone moving towards her, their breathing harder than normal, as if they had been running, "You're Buffy, right?" a girl's voice asked off to her left.

She turned, "That's right," she said, a bit harsher than she had meant.

"I'm Willow Rosenburg. I'm in all three of your morning classes," she said.

"Yes, I remember you. The teachers call on you all the time," she said.

"I'm the only one that ever does the homework, it seems. We're a small school, so everyone knows everyone else, and my reputation precedes me," she said, trying to brush away the comment, "I was told by Principal Flutie that you might need some help catching up," she said as tactfully as she could.

She just stood there, knowing that she had to say something, but couldn't. She was used to such actions in the past, but here? She wanted to start over. She was independent thanks to Jada. "I guess you could say that," she said slowly, "I'm not really used to mainstream classes still," she said with a laugh, trying to lighten the mood, cover her awkward silence, "I'm supposed to be getting someone to help me in class, let me know what's written on the board and stuff, but I don't know when that'll happen. The school wasn't really ready for me," she said with another self-conscious laugh, "If you're sure it's not a problem, I'd love some help, just to get me caught up."

"Okay then," Willow said, her voice light and bouncy, "Do you want to meet after fourth block or something?"

"I can't. My mom's picking me up right after school. But I'll talk to her tonight, do you want to come over tomorrow?" she asked, going out on a limb. She hadn't had anyone over to her house since before the accident. Suddenly she was worried what this normal girl might think of the room she couldn't see. Her Mom swore the room looked fine, but she was a Mom, she had to say that…

"Actually, that's better, because my friend Xander is probably going to need help with the math homework this afternoon. And for the rest of the semester," she laughed light heartedly, and Buffy joined in hesitantly. "Speak of the devil," she said, and Buffy heard footsteps on the hard walkway.

"Hey, Will," the guy said, then he must have turned and noticed her, "Whoa, it's the bli-" she heard an oomph, as if Willow had elbowed him in the ribs, "blonde girl from first block," he amended.

"It's okay," she said hurriedly, "I've got to go, so Willow, I'll see you tomorrow?"

"Yeah…" she didn't give either of them any more time to respond as she turned on her heel and left, tears stinging her eyes. By some miracle, she found a place to sit, letting her backpack take the place beside her as she wiped her eyes. Jada put her head in her lap, and Buffy hugged the dog. Why did his comment bother her so much?

Maybe because even though she was blind, she was a normal teenaged girl, and just wanted to be treated as such.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter Four

**Author's Notes**: Thank you so much for all of the reviews. Eight for three chapters is an amazing rate for my stories...This will go with the reward system...you reward me (review) and I'll reward you (more story). And all questions will hopefully be answered soon. For those of you who want to see the whole challenge (since some questions may be answered by it, if you want to slightly spoil yourselves) email me and I will send you the link.

* * *

After she got her emotions under control, she realized that Jada probably needed to go to the bathroom before lunch ended. Once that was taken care of, she heard the warning bell ring, and she headed back inside. Using the mental layout Principal Flutie had explained, she tried to find her next class in room 113. She knew it was on the first floor, but not on which side of the building it was on. She didn't even know what wing she was in. She moved over to where she knew the wall to be, and ran her hand along it until she found the room number markers. She ran her fingers over the dots underneath. Room 124. It was close, on the opposite side of the hall then. She crossed the hall and found herself fighting the flow of people as she tried to find the right room.

"Buffy, isn't it?" she heard a male voice say behind her, and she thought it was the guy who had unintentionally insulted her, Willow's friend.

"That's correct," she said icily.

"Look, I'm sorry about that. I tend to say things without thinking. Uh, what room are you looking for?"

She sighed, knowing she could either find the room on her own and be late, or swallow her pride and have this ass help her, "113."

"Hey!" she heard a rustle of paper to her right, "That's where I'm going. Why don't I walk you there?" he asked, and then he reached out and grabbed her right arm.

"Don't touch me!" she cried, shaking his hand off. "Hold out your left arm," she said, and then she moved her right arm slowly until she had bumped into his arm, tucking her hand in the crook of his elbow. "Lead on," she said with more pep than she felt.

Slowly he moved her across the hall, going with the flow, before leading her down the hall. "You don't have to walk so slow," she said, "This way, I can follow you easily, just don't turn any corners quickly," she warned.

"Okay," they sped up a little, and before she knew it, he was stopping, "Here's room 113. Mr. Washburn is a great guy, as long as you do your homework," he said, giving her some advice. Then he shook her hand off his arm, and stepped away. When she didn't move, unsure of exactly where he was, he said, "You first." She nodded, and whispered the forward command to Jada, entering the room.

Conversation died suddenly when she entered the room, and she felt sick to her stomach, knowing that they had been talking about her. Face burning, she found the seat closest to the door and sat; Jada laid down beneath her chair. But before she could dig herself too deep into misery, she heard the seat to her left being occupied as the legs scraped against the floor.

"Buffy," Willow said, "This is awesome, we're in all the same classes!" the girl cried, thinking it a coincidence, but Buffy knew otherwise. She didn't believe in coincidences anymore.

"Wow, lucky for the Buffster," she heard the guy who led her to class say from behind Willow.

"Yeah, lucky me."

"Now we can do the study buddy thing, all three of us," Willow said, excited. "Instead of going to your house tomorrow, Buffy, how about we go to the library?"

She was saved from answering because the bell rang and the teacher started speaking and didn't stop again until the bell rang.

"So, how was your first day?" her mother asked as she climbed into the car, Jada sitting between her legs on the floor. She felt the dog lay down, putting her head on her foot.

"It was okay. The Braille text books haven't come in yet, and they didn't get me a tutor yet, but there's this nice girl, Willow, in all my classes that's kind enough to help," she didn't tell her mother her thoughts on why Willow was in all of her classes. First Flutie had told Willow she needed help, and then she ended up being in all of her classes. She had a feeling she wouldn't be getting that highly trained tutor they had promised to get her.

"That's nice," her mother said, "What about your teachers?"

"They seemed nice enough. All of them are okay with me using my laptop in class for class work and emailing it to them." She had gotten a laptop for Christmas, and her mother had had Braille labels put on the keys, along with a speaking program. She had to use headphones during class though, just one more thing she knew that set her apart from the others.

"Anything exciting happen?" her mother asked.

"Not really," she didn't tell her about the crazed librarian.

"Did you have to beat the guys off with a stick?"

She looked sharply at her mother, "No guys are interested in a blind girl with a dog," she said harshly.

"Buffy-"

"I have a lot of homework I need to do, can we just go home now?" She felt and heard her mother start the car and pull away from the curb. She felt Jada move, and then the dog's head was on her knee in a consoling manner. She scratched the German Shepherd's ears affectionately.

The next day, she followed Willow outside in the southern California sun for lunch. Xander was already there. Buffy had brought her own lunch again, ham and cheese sandwich, chocolate chip cookie, orange juice. Her Mom always packed her lunch in the morning, just one more way her mother was smothering her.

"So, Buffy, tell us something about yourself," Xander said, and she could hear the sound of someone being smacked, "Hey!" he cried, leading Buffy to believe Willow was the one to smack him. "Inquiring minds want to know. You're big news here," he said, then rushed on, "and not because you're blind, well, okay, yeah, but because, hello, new girl. We haven't had someone new in our grade since…when?" he asked, his voice turning away from her, and she knew he was talking to Willow, "Fifth grade, I think," his voice was louder, he had turned back to face her.

"There's really not much to tell," Buffy said, feeling herself blush.

"Are we on for studying this afternoon?" Willow asked.

"Uh, yeah. I talked to my Mom, she has to work late anyway, she's gonna call me before she comes to pick me up."

"Hey, afterwards, we should all go Bronzin'," Xander said, "I don't know what type of things you did in your old town to pass the time, but the Bronze is…well, the only place to be if you're under 25 in this town."

"The Bronze?" Buffy asked, confused.

"It's a teen club. There's a DJ, and on Fridays there's a live, generally local, band."

"It's really fun. You should seriously come," Willow said from the other side of her. She was sitting in between the two friends.

"I'll, uh, talk to my Mom. I'll try. Around seven?" Buffy asked, giddy inside. She had never gone to a club before, never had sighted people who wanted anything to do with her.

* * *

"Mom! Please?" she cried later that evening, after dinner. "I really want to go! Please?" 

"Buffy, it's just not safe."

"Mom, this town is dead after dark. Willow gave me foolproof directions, it's within walking distance."

"Buffy-"

"And I've been thinking, I really don't need you driving me to school everyday. It's only three blocks away. I can easily walk."

"Buffy, I just don't know…Jada's not that big, she can't really protect you…" she heard the pain in her mother's voice, and she knew what was going through her mind.

"I found out something online the other day," she told her mother, excited, "I was looking into dog training, since I really don't know all that much about dogs, and I found this woman, she lives one town over, and she trains dogs for a living. Well, she works part time as a veterinarian tech, and she has experience training obedience dogs, agility dogs, even police dogs. She said it would be no problem to teach Jada some defense, and it wouldn't interfere with her other training."

"How do you know all of this?" her mother's tone was suspicious.

"I've been emailing back and forth with her for about a week. Her names Ashlei Knox, and though she's never trained a guide dog, she's more than willing to help."

She waited for her mother to say something, anything, but she couldn't take it anymore, knowing what was on her mother's mind, "I'm sixteen, Mom, not six. I'm a big girl, and I can do things on my own," she sighed, "I know that you, more than anyone, wants me to be independent. I'm not leaving for good, I'm just going downtown for an hour or two to spend with friends. Normal friends. Please, Mom!"

She heard her sigh, "Alright, you can go. But I want you back by nine, okay? And don't be afraid to call if you don't want to walk home."

She hugged her mother, "Thanks, Mom. I love you," she told her, before letting her go. She whistled, "Jada!" she called, and she heard the dog's tags jingling and her nails clicking on the hardwood floors as the dog raced to her side from wherever she had been in the house, probably in her room. She knelt before the dog, buckling her into her harness, before standing and grabbing her jacket. She stood, undecided a moment, the sunglasses she usually wore during the day to hide her almost normal looking fake eyes were upstairs. But it was night, and she had heard clubs were dark, she wouldn't need them.

"Bye, Mom. Love you!" she cried, before heading out the door.

"Be careful!" her mother yelled before the door closed behind her daughter.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter Five

**Author's Notes**: Thank you for all the reviews! And the plot thickens...

She walked down the deserted street, murmuring the directions Willow gave her under her breath the whole way. Down to the end of Revello Drive, turn left and walk for five blocks, then cross the street, follow that road for two blocks, and if she didn't hear the music, then she was lost. While she was walking towards the center of town, a shiver ran down her spine. She still had two more cross streets until she was supposed to cross the street, but something compelled her to cross the street early anyway. She came to the second street and turned onto it, straining her ears for the music. But all she heard was something funny, footfalls that didn't match with hers. They were faint, but they had crossed the street when she did, and they followed her down this smaller street.

She walked two blocks, and then stopped. She didn't hear any music. The footfalls were gone as well. She felt Jada sit, and knew the dog was probably looking up at her for some direction, but she didn't know where she was. She turned first one way, and then another, hoping to catch the sound of music, no matter how distant, but she didn't hear anything. She sighed in frustration, trying to keep the tears at bay.

"Excuse me, miss," the voice came from behind her, and she spun to face the…guy, if his voice was any indication, deep, melodious. It made her shiver despite the warm spring night, "You seem lost," he said, moving closer.

"You could say that," she laughed, self conscious, "I'm new in town. I'm trying to get to the club, The Bronze. Do you happen to know…" she asked.

"Oh, yeah. I live right by there. But, uh, you can't take the dog into the club, ma'am. The only animals allowed in are the two legged, usually male kind," she could hear him smile at his own joke. He sounded smug; she wanted to wipe the smugness out of his voice.

"Well, they'd better let her in, seeing as she's my guide dog. And before you ask, yes, I'm blind."

"I wasn't going to ask," his voice was softer, and not nearly so smug. Instead she heard pity, and confusion.

"Can you show me where this club is, or not?" she asked.

"Uh, yeah," he sounded preoccupied, and she was glad that it was night, and he couldn't see the blush staining her cheeks, a shameful blush. She bit her lip, furious, she hadn't felt ashamed about her condition in five years.

He stared at the petite blond before him, confused. Her green eyes stared off into the distance, and he wanted to, more than anything, back away and run all the way back to New York. Whistler had promised that this petite girl-besides being a slayer- would need his help. But there was no way in hell that this could be the slayer, she was blind.

"Give me your elbow," she told him, knowing that she shouldn't trust this guy. She should turn around and go back home. But something inside her told her that this guy could be trusted.

He stepped forward, and Jada, sitting by her side, growled deep in her throat. He stopped, staring at the dog. How could the dog know…

"Jada, hush," she told the dog. "Your arm?" she asked again, and he moved over to stand on the other side of her from the dog. The dog got to its feet and leaned against her knees, baring her teeth at him. He bumped her fingers with his elbow, and she latched on.

"It's, uh, just down this way," he told her, starting off. He led her back the way she had come, and down one more block, before turning down the next street. "Oh, my name's Angel."

"Kinda girly," she couldn't help herself from saying.

He laughed, "It's a nickname. My real name's…Liam," he said after a moment, as if he had forgotten.

"Hi, I'm Buffy," she said, "and this is Jada."

"Nice to meet you, Buffy." His voice made her shiver, it was soft, and almost husky, and she bit back a smile.

"Nice to meet you, Angel," she returned, her voice soft. She dug her fingers deeper into the nook between his arm and his side. But before she knew it, they were stopping, and she could hear loud music coming from nearby.

"Here you are," he said, letting her hand slip away.

"Thank you," she said slowly, turning towards the music.

"It's pretty crowded," he noted. She nodded, not seeing. "Are you meeting someone?" he asked.

"A few friends."

"Would you like me to help you find them?" he asked, not exactly sure why he was asking.

"Yes, please," she murmured, and he took her arm back.

Once they got inside, he bent down and put his lips next to her ear, "Who am I looking for?" his surprisingly cool breath sent shivers down her spine.

"Her name's Willow. She's um…" she bit her lip, "I'm really not sure how to find her. I was kinda hoping she'd find me."

He nodded, not registering she couldn't see him, and led her towards the bar, where he sat her down. Jada, unphased by the noise, laid down at her feet. She ordered a Mountain Dew, once asked what she wanted, and he declined a drink.

"So, where are you from?" Angel found himself asking, scanning the crowd. For what, he didn't know.

"Los Angeles. Even after the divorce…" she quieted, her head tilted downwards.

"It's not your fault," he said, turning to her.

Her head snapped up, "I never said-"

"You didn't have to. I don't know how you…how you became blind, but by the look on your face, it wasn't until after did your parents get divorced, and it's not because you're blind." She didn't say anything, only pointing her face to where his voice was coming from, hoping he got the idea that she was looking at him.

She was about to reply when she heard her name being called faintly over the music. Then the voice came nearer, and she recognized Willow's voice.

"Buffy, there you are. I've been looking all over for you!" she cried, stopping in front of the blonde.

"I didn't know how to find you, so I figured I should just stay in one place," she said with a smile.

"Oh, who's this?" Willow asked, looking at the man standing beside Buffy.

"Oh, this is Angel. He helped me get here, I got kind of lost."

"Oh, nice to meet you, I'm Willow," she said, holding out her hand.

He ignored it, almost shying away from it, "Nice to meet you, Willow. Buffy, I've got to go meet a friend. Nice meeting you, both of you," then he bent in close to Buffy and whispered, "And for future reference, she's a red head." Buffy nodded, waiting a moment.

"Buffy, he's older," she heard Willow say, slipping in to the seat beside her.

"Really? How much?"

"Mid twenties, at least," Willow said, looking behind her, the way the guy had gone.

"Is he cute?"

"Definitely," Willow said, "Major hottie," then she blushed. "What did he say…" she started to ask, but Buffy was saying something.

"So, you're a redhead? I've heard red heads have more fun," Buffy said to make conversation, feeling around the countertop for her drink.

"Not this red head."

"Oh, come on, you're probably gorgeous. Guys must be throwing themselves at your feet."

"Not really," Willow blushed.

"Do you date much?"

"No. Well, there was this one time when I had a boyfriend. But we broke up."

"Oh yeah?"

"Yeah. It was Xander, and he stole my Barbie." She saw the look on Buffy's face, "We were five," she hurried to add.

"Oh," the blonde laughed.

* * *

"You made a mistake," he said, his voice quiet, but filled with malice as he entered the apartment he and his 'friend' were staying in. 

"Huh?" Whistler asked, looking up from the newspaper he was reading.

"The girl, she's not the slayer," he told him.

"Of course she is," Whistler said, "Now that you've had a good meal or two, you start doubting me?"

"But she can't be the slayer!" he told him angrily.

"But what does your heart, your brain say?"

It was a moment before he answered, "She felt like the slayer. I felt afraid of her, but I also felt the need to protect her, she's so small." Then he shook himself, "But she's not the slayer. She's blind."

"She's gonna need your help," Whistler said quietly as Angel sat in a chair.

* * *

The next day, during second block, she got called down to the library. Thinking it odd, and feeling a bit uneasy, since the librarian was totally weird, she slowly walked down the empty hall. The only noise came from classrooms with open doors, Jada's nails on the linoleum, and the occasional creak of the harness Jada wore. 

Her hand ran over the wall until she felt the nameplate declaring the library, and she stopped, taking a deep breath before pushing the library door open.

"Hello?" she called, her voice echoing in the silent library.

"Miss Summers," the man said; Mr. Giles, she had learned, was his name.

"You wanted to see me?" she asked. She could hear the sound of his shoes on the tile as he moved closer to her, probably moving around the desk.

She heard him stop suddenly, "What's this?" he asked.

"What's what?" she asked, cocking a hip, displaying attitude.

"This isn't right…" he murmured.

"What?" she asked.

"You're…you're…"

"Blind? Yeah, have been since I was eight."

"I'm sorry," he murmured.

"No big. What did you want to see me about?"

"Your-The books came in for you. They're…they're right here." She heard something heavy being placed on a surface, probably the desk she had leaned on the first time she was here.

"Oh, goody," she said sarcastically, seeing as she would have to carry all of them, not exactly able to use a combination lock, which were embedded in all the school lockers. He placed the books in front of her, and she grabbed them, juggling them as she grabbed Jada's harness. She turned to go when he stopped her.

"No matter the status of your sight, it doesn't change who you are, Miss Summers," his voice sounded resolved, "You are the slayer, the one in the whole generation-"

"No, I'm really not. I'm a girl who was in the wrong car at the wrong time, and lost both my cousin and my sight. I'm not this slayer thing. Just leave me alone!" she cried, walking out hurriedly. She stopped before returning to class, taking a deep breath before pushing open the classroom door.

"Besides, there's no such thing as vampires," she murmured to herself, closing the classroom door behind her.

She, Xander and Willow stayed after school in their math room rather than the library to study. Buffy was doing her history homework, reading the chapter and answering the questions when Willow interrupted her.

"That looks so cool. Could-Could you teach me?" she asked, and Buffy realized she was talking about the Braille book she was reading, which was twice as thick as her own textbook, only being able to use one side of a page.

"Uh, sure," Buffy said hesitantly, hearing Willow slide her chair over next to her. Buffy felt for her bag and pulled out her computer. "My computer keyboard is set up just like a normal keyboard, in case I ever need to use a non-Brailled computer. This," she felt for Willow's finger, and placed it over one of the keys, "is an A, just a single dot."

"That's so neat. It kind of tickles," Willow laughed, then stopped herself abruptly. "I'm sorry."

"You didn't do anything," Buffy said, smiling at the redhead.

After their study session, Willow and Xander offered to walk her home since it was late, even though she lived in the opposite direction. She declined their offer, and set out on her own. She figured she was about halfway home when Jada stopped abruptly, growling.

"Jada," Buffy said, trying to make the dog move forward, but she wouldn't. Buffy remembered back at Guiding Eyes that they had said the dogs were taught to be disobedient only when their owner's lives were in danger, and that made her shiver in fear. "Is anybody there?" she called, standing in the middle of the seemingly empty sidewalk.

"Do you need any help?" a male voice asked, "Your dog doesn't seem to be listening to you."

"No, thank you for the offer, I'm fine," she spit out a programmed response, unsure she could speak for herself without screaming. It wasn't just Jada's actions, she had this…evil feeling in the pit of her stomach, almost like a cramp, and it was coming from the guy in front of her, no matter how weird that sounded.

"You're right, you won't need help when I'm through with you, you'll be dead," the guy growled, and she could feel his breath on her face. How he had gotten so close without her hearing even a whisper of his steps surprised her. Jada barked at the guy, sitting dutifully at her side, and she took an involuntary step backwards.

"Shut up!" the guy growled at Jada, and she fell silent, a shiver running through her body; Buffy felt it through her leg, which was firmly pressed upon by Jada's side. Who had initiated the contact, whether it was her looking for comfort or the dog, she didn't know.

"St-stay away from me," she murmured, backing up even further from the guy, Jada following suit.

"Stay away from me," the guy mimicked, pitching his voice higher to imitate her own high pitched voice.

"I-I mean it!" she cried, hoping she wouldn't tripand fall in her backpedaling.

"And what are you gonna do, hit me with your white cane?" she heard him advancing on her, and she tried to move faster, now digging into her pocket for her collapsible cane, flicking it open and brandishing it before her, trying to keep him at bay, trying to pinpoint his whereabouts by his voice.

"Oo, scary!" he cried, feigning terror, and she swung it, hitting him in the side. She heard something hit the ground, and his howl of pain. "Bitch, I think you broke my ribs!" Suddenly he was behind her, a hand gripping her throat, and she squeaked in terror, "You'll die for that," he said, and she felt his breath on her neck as she struggled to get free, but he was so strong…

She felt something sharp against her neck, but before she knew it, she was sprawled on the ground, jarring her wrists and knees against the pavement.

"Good dogs don't bite," she heard a familiar voice say, and then she heard the sounds of a fight, before she heard a whooshing noise like the air being let out of a balloon, and a scream.

"Buffy, are you all right?" she heard the voice asked, and the person grabbed her under the elbow, helping her to her feet.

"Angel?" she asked, fighting back the tears that hadn't fallen when the guy had first attacked her.

"It's me, you're safe now," he said.

She threw herself into his arms, "I was so scared! What was that?" she asked, "He wasn't human, he was too strong!" she cried, and the tears started falling.

She felt him stiffen as she first threw herself at him, but then he relaxed and even wrapped his arms around her, patting her back in a comforting manner.

"That…that was a vampire," he told her, his voice soft.

"A-a what? But-But vampires don't exist!" she cried, hugging him tighter to her.

"Yes, they do, and you're the vampire slayer, the one girl who has the strength to fight them, to kill them."

"But-But I'm not this slayer thing, I'm just a girl. I don't want to be this slayer thing, I don't want to kill anybody!" she said, pulling away from him.

"You don't have a choice. If you don't learn to defend yourself, and others, then you'll just die. You're a remarkable girl, Buffy, to have come so far after what happened to you, but if you don't accept this, then they'll track you down, and kill you. And not quick and painless, either, some vampires would torture you if they had the chance, keep you alive as long as possible, just to hear you scream."

"You're scaring me," she told him, sniffling.

"Then I'm doing what I'm supposed to." He touched her neck, and she flinched away from his cold touch, "You've got just a scratch here, it's not even bleeding all that much. Let's get you home," he told her, before calling, "Jada!"

"Oh my God, I forgot all about…I let her go when I fell…"

"Here she is," he said, and she felt the dog rubbing up against her leg, almost like a cat would. She felt for the harness handle and leash. Then she fit her hand in the crook of Angel's elbow, and he led her off down the street. Jada growled once, but then she was quiet.

"Thank you," she said after a minute, "for saving my life."

"It was no problem," he said, "I was actually hoping to run into you."

"Giles didn't send you, did he?"

"Giles?" he asked.

"Guess not," she smiled. "He's…the school librarian," she said after a moment, feeling the need to explain. "He keeps saying that I'm this slayer thing."

"He'd be your watcher, sent but the Watcher's Council in England. He's here to train you."

"I knew he sounded British," she joked, "So why me? Why was I chosen for this…thing?" she asked.

"No one knows," he said quietly. They walked in silence for awhile, and then he stopped, "Here we are," he told her, slipping his arm away from her, trying to ignore the goose bumps left on his skin at her warm touch.

"How did you-" she started.

"Let's just say I've been watching you," he said.

"Sounds so much better than stalking!" she said.

"Don't go out at night alone if you can't help it. Solitary vampires generally don't attack large groups, but anything's possible. Just… be careful."

"Okay," she said. Then she bit her lip, "Will I be seeing you again?" she asked.

"I'll be around," he said, before walking off. She could hear the sound of his feet hitting the pavement as he walked quickly away.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter Six

**Author's Notes**: Well, this is either the chapter where I hook readers, or I lose them. Thank you all so much for reading thus far and reviewing!

"Buffy, I'm driving you to school this morning, and that's final!" Her mother was still pissed that she hadn't called for a ride home the night before, not to mention she came home after dark, not that Buffy noticed.

Buffy waited until her mother went up to her room to get dressed for work before she grabbed her backpack, "I'm gonna take Jada out for a quick walk!" she called, before putting Jada in her harness and heading for school.

Her mother called her as she was entering the building. "Buffy Ann Summers-"

"Mom, I'm getting some help from my math teacher, and there's bad reception in the school," she interrupted her. "I'll call you during lunch!" she said, hanging up her phone and turning the sound off. Then she started off for the library.

"Giles!" she yelled once she entered the library, and she could hear his wet shoes squeaking on the tile; he must have stepped in a puddle from last night's rain or walked on the grass.

"Miss Summers?" he asked, "I thought I was going to have to track you down this morning," he said.

"Nice to see you too," she said, crossing her arms over her chest. Jada laid down at her feet. "I got attacked by a whatever last night, a vampire. And I'm not saying I'm agreeing to be this slayer thing, but I'd like to hear more about it before I decide. What type of time commitment does this include?" she asked.

He stared at her with an incredulous look on his face, which didn't affect her at all, and shouldn't, he remembered. He sighed, taking off his glasses and rubbed the lenses in his shirt so he wouldn't have to look at her, "Time commitment?" he repeated, "At least an hour after school for training, an hour or two patrolling in the evenings, barring any apocalypses or other problematic occurrences that might take more time."

"So it's like two hours a night, max right? I think my Mom can deal with that-"

"But she cannot know, otherwise you put her in grave danger," he told her, "No one but myself can know of your identity, no one should be put in undue danger."

"So I can't tell my friends or anything like that? I can't even tell my Mom?" she asked, staring at him, her unseeing eyes wide, "How the hell is that going to work then? I bet patrolling has to be done after dark."

"Yes, that's correct," he nodded.

"My Mom barely lets me out to walk Jada, she's not going to let me out after dark to…patrol, or whatever the hell you called it. Especially if she doesn't know what's going on! I can't lie to my Mom, she's always been there for me, through everything!"

"Buffy," he said, moving closer to her, putting a calming hand on her arm, in which she flinched as if he had hit her, "I'm not happy about this either. A-A slayer has to be on top of her game. One off night, and she could die. But, with you…you are going to have to work ten times harder than any slayer ever has just to survive each night. With no vision, this destiny is nigh impossible. I'm signing your death warrant by letting you do this. If the Council knew, they would have you killed just so another slayer could be called, to take your place, an 'undamaged' slayer, they'd say…"

At some point in his ramblings, her eyes narrowed in anger. This was just one more test, one more thing she couldn't do because she was blind. She was sick and tired of people telling her that she couldn't do something!

"Where do we start?" she asked, her voice low and filled with fury. He almost took a step back at the emotion in her voice.

"Are you sure about this?" he asked.

"Where do we start?" she asked again.

That night, after telling her mother she was going to the Bronze, and armed with the pointed wooden stick that Giles had given her, she started off down the street, towards downtown. About halfway there, she stopped, "Angel?" she asked the darkness. A chill ran up her spine, and her stomach ached. Not as bad as the night before, just enough to bug her. And she knew it wasn't indigestion; how she knew, she didn't know.

"Right here," the darkness said, and she smiled at his melodious voice. "What are you doing out-"

"I need your help," she told him as Jada growled low in her throat. "Sit," she commanded, and the dog did just that.

"With what?"

She sighed, "Giles says it's going to be impossible for me to be this slayer thing, because I'm blind."

"And you want to prove him wrong," he said. She nodded, "You know the dangers," he said, and she nodded again. "What can I do?"

"Y-You took out that vampire all by yourself!" she cried, frustrated that he didn't get it, "I need experience in the field, not just training with Giles. But…I don't want to die," she said quietly, "For the first time in my life, things are going okay. There are hours at a time that the accident that did this to me doesn't cross my mind."

He nodded, without thinking he reached out and touched her arm. She shivered. "I'll help you," he whispered. She nodded.

"Thank you," she murmured as he stepped forward. She could almost feel his large frame in front of her. They stood there a moment, mere inches apart, before he shook his head.

"I, uh, got something for you," he told her, and she felt him move away. Then his hand was on hers, placing a small box into her open palm. "It's a cross necklace."

"Vampires don't like crosses," she murmured, touched by his thoughtfulness. "Thank you. Would you, uh, help me?" she asked, and after a second's hesitation, she felt him take back the box, and she heard the small pop of it opening, and she pulled her hair back from her neck trustingly.

He stared at her bare neck a moment, shocked at the emotions that overcame him just by the small gesture of her trusting him completely. He moved behind her, putting the necklace around her head, clasping it in the back, laying the chain on her soft white skin, careful not to touch her.

She shivered as the cool metal touched her skin, "Thank you," she murmured again. "What now?" she asked.

"I know just the place to get your first kill," he said softly, walking over to her right side. He bumped her fingertips with his elbow, and she slid her hand into the crook as he started to lead her away from the downtown area.

They stopped after about fifteen minutes of walking. "This is Restfield Cemetery," he murmured, his voice carrying in the silence.

"A cemetery?" she asked, "Not a very romantic place to take a girl," she joked, feeling uncomfortable being completely alone with this man she barely knew.

"Don't worry," he murmured, "you're safe." She turned her face towards his voice, wondering if he knew her innermost thoughts. How she wished she could see what he looked like, even if only for a second, so she could picture his face in her mind for the rest of their friendship. Willow had tried to describe him after that evening at the Bronze, but her description made him sound…deranged, with a wide forehead and deep eyes and a big nose and chin.

"Most vampires, right after they're killed, end up getting found and buried. They don't come back as vampires for a few days, so many get buried. Since this is going to be your first vampire, I figured we'd start easy," he said, and she could hear the straight set of his lips.

"Why are you so tense?" she asked, "I can hear it in your voice," she explained, "I can feel it in your muscles," she said, wiggling her fingers in the crook if his arm.

"I just- I just don't want you to get hurt," he said finally, "This way," he said, pulling her towards the left. As they walked, Jada pressed herself closer to Buffy, growling into the darkness. Suddenly she got this cramping sensation in her stomach, and she stopped. "You can feel him, can't you?" he asked quietly, and she nodded. "It's not much farther," he told her as she huddled closer to him.

After a hundred paces or so, he stopped, "We're here. He's just rising from his grave now," he quickly went on to describe their location, and she focused on making a mental map of the area, hopefully to scale. "Remember, you're aiming for the heart. I'll be right here to protect you, if things get out of hand." She nodded, trying to remember the things Giles had taught her that afternoon.

She felt Angel disentangle his arm from her grip and step away, taking Jada from her. She knew she wouldn't be able to fight while still holding onto Jada.

She heard the vampire floundering while climbing out of his grave, but then everything went silent, besides the wind rustling the leaves of a nearby tree. Then she heard another rustling, this one moving closer to her. She stood there in the fighting stance Giles had taught her, waiting to feel the guy's attack. But she didn't, not until his fist connected with her face and everything exploded into color.

She fell to the ground, behind her she could hear Angel's shout of shock, and Jada's incessant barking. But as she pushed herself to her feet, she could _see._ It wasn't how she remembered seeing, but it was like the dreams she sometimes had, everything was dark and shadowy, but she could see dark shapes that she assumed to be tombstones, and there was a figure outlined in blue, with a dark blue spot radiating outward from the figure's chest.

The figure swung an arm at her, and she threw up her arm to block it. She threw a punch under his guard and landed a solid hit to his stomach. Then she spun, crouching, and kicked his legs out from under him. He fell, and she jumped on top of him, jamming the stake into the dark blue spot on his chest. And then the blue exploded to fill her senses, and she stumbled back, and when her head cleared, he was gone.

"You did it," a vice behind her said, and she remembered Angel was with her. She scrambled to her feet as she turned towards him, ecstatic. But then her face fell as she took in the sight in front of her. She could see Jada, outlined in red, with a red spot on her chest, but Angel….he was outlined in blue.

"Where did you learn to fight like that?" he asked, amazed.

"Jada," she said quietly, patting her left leg. The dog broke free of Angel's hold on her leash and rushed to her master's side. "S-Stay away from me," she stuttered, taking a step back.

"Buffy?" he asked, his voice soft, caressing her name as he took a step towards her.

"Stay away from me, I-I know what you are!" Then she turned and ran, unsure of where she was going, unsure of the way home. All she knew was she had to get away from the vampire she had considered a friend, the vampire she had trusted.

She didn't know how long she ran, or in what direction. The farther she got from Angel, the more her vision blurred, until she was left in the dark once more. When she finally stopped running, she turned her head this way and that, unseeing, having no clue where she was. She hit the button on her watch and it told her it was 8:59. She had half an hour to get home. Fighting back tears, she bent to pat Jada, who was breathing hard.

"Lead me home, girl, take me home." Jada licked her face, and then she stood, letting go of the handle as she held only onto the leash, giving Jada free reign. "Go on," she told the dog, and slowly the dog started heading back in the direction they had come.

She entered the house after 10:30, and her Mom accosted her before she had even closed the door.

"Where were you?" she asked, her voice harsh.

"I-I got lost. I'm really sorry, it won't happen again."

"You're right it won't. You're not allowed out of this house in the evenings ever again, unless I'm driving you somewhere. And that's final."

"But Mom-"

"No, Buffy, I won't hear it. I won't hear your excuses. I was worried sick, I almost called the police."

"I'm sorry you were worried, but you should trust me by now! I'm not a little kid anymore, you can't keep me locked up forever!"

"While you live under my roof, you will follow my rules."

She started to say something, but the events of the day caught up with her, and she burst into tears, pushing past her mother and running up the stairs, falling twice before she reached the top in her haste. She heard the jingle of Jada's dog tags behind her, and she let the dog into her room before she slammed the door shut, throwing herself onto her bed.

Things were different now, why couldn't her mother see that?


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter Seven

**Author's Notes**: Okay, I want to thank EVERYONE that reviewed. I also want to apologize for the long no-update, I lost internet for awhile, and so I didn't do much writing on this story, kinda needed a transcript. Here's the next chapter.

The next morning after her mother dropped her off at school, she went straight to the library, to report to Giles.

"Hi, Giles," she called, pushing open the library doors.

"Good morning, Buffy."

"Are we alone?" she asked.

"Uh, yes."

'Good, I got attacked last night," she told him quickly.

"Are you alright?" he asked, and she let the concern in his voice wash over her; at least someone cared about her.

"Yeah. But the strangest thing happened…the vampire punched me in the face, my nose is a bit sore, my Mom didn't say anything, so I guess it's not black and blue, but when he punched me, I saw lights, and then I saw him."

He looked at her a moment, "Is this a figurative 'seeing'?" he asked at last.

"No. I could actually see him. Not like I remember seeing, everything was dark and shadowy, but I could see shadows of trees and buildings and such, and this vampire was outlined in blue. There was a blob of blue on his chest too. I aimed the stake I was carrying with me there, and he exploded."

"And what happened next?" he asked.

"After he was gone, it went away. I was back to seeing nothing," she told him, not adding the part about Angel. She was still reeling…she had trusted him.

"Fascinating. I-I'll do some research, see you back here after school?" he asked, and she could tell by the muffled sound of his voice that he had turned away.

"Yeah," she said quietly, standing alone in the silent library.

That night her mother drove her to the Bronze, but only because Buffy had convinced her she and Willow would be studying there. She said she would be back at nine, which gave them about two hours to hang out. For the first half, all Buffy did was bitch.

"I don't get my Mom sometimes," she told Willow, "Things are different here. It's not like in LA, I'm safer here. And I have Jada. I have friends here. She doesn't seem to get it. Ever since my accident, my philosophy has been seize the day, because you never know what's going to happen tomorrow that's going to screw it up. I can't live like that with her constantly hanging on me!" she said, taking a sip of her drink.

"What about that-" Willow started, but then she fell silent. Buffy turned towards her, wondering why she had stopped when she felt a familiar hand on her arm, and her vision started to cloud.

"Buffy, I need to talk to you," Angel said.

She sighed, "I don't want to talk to you," she told him, turning her back on him, "Get out of here."

"Buffy-"

"No, Angel. Go away, and leave me alone!"

Suddenly he was in her personal space, his lips a bare inch from her ear. She suppressed a shudder, and hoped he hadn't noticed, "You don't have to be my friend, but I'm not going to stop helping you. Just…ask Giles about the hellmouth. And while you're at it, ask him about Heinrich Nest and the Harvest." He was silent a moment, and then he moved away from her, and from what she could tell, kept moving away from her.

"What was that about?" Willow asked.

"I, uh, I'll be right back," she told Willow, slipping off her stool. She grabbed the handle on Jada's harness, the dog having stood up when she did, and she moved away from the noise. She pulled her cell phone out of her bag, and using the two bumps surrounding the five, she dialed the school's number, punching in the library extension, hoping Giles was still there. He had insisted that she memorize both the school number and his home number, and call him no matter the time if she needed to.

When he answered, she didn't give him time to talk, "Look, I'm hanging out with Willow and this strange guy that keeps following me told me to ask you about the hellmouth, Heinrich Nest and the Harvest. I'm hoping that any of that means something to you, because I'm at a loss."

"Heinrich…the hellmouth…" he trailed off and she could almost hear him thinking, "Heinrich Nest is an ancient vampire that calls himself the Master. He's older than any other vampire, but he disappeared around the forties or fifties, Buffy. I-I'll have to do more research, though…"

"And what about this hellmouth?"

"It's a mystical convergence…Buffy, who told you about these?" he asked.

She sighed, "This guy named Angel. Well, his real name is Liam, but his nickname is Angel. He- I think he's a vampire."

"Buffy-"

"I know, I'll be careful. Just get me answers, Giles, okay? I've got to go, I left Willow hanging."

"Okay-" she hung up the phone, pushing it back into her large bag and heading back towards the bar. She pushed through the crowd, careful to not get turned around, but when she got to the bar, Willow wasn't there. "Willow?" she called, turning towards the crowd, hoping her friend would hear her.

"Your friend just left," a voice behind her said, and she spun.

"What?"

"She left with some guy, just before you got back. You might still be able to catch them."

"Thanks!" she cried, pulling a folded five out of her purse and throwing it on the bar to pay for their sodas. Then she and Jada pushed through the crowd once more. It wasn't at all like school, barely anyone got out of the way for her. But she had visited the club enough to know pretty much where she was heading.

When she got outside, her vision started to get cloudy, and she swore under her breath. She listened for a moment, before she heard Willow's chatter floating on the breeze, almost completely drowned out by the music.

"Buffy?" Xander asked from behind her, moving to stand in front of her, "Hey Jada," he said, reaching down to pet her.

"Xander, stop it," she told him, feeling Jada's tail whip her in the back of her legs, "Did you see which way Willow went?" she asked.

"No, why?"

"She left with a boy, and I-I don't trust him."

"Why, is he a vampire?" Xander asked, and Buffy whipped her head around to face him, fear evident on her face.

"How did you know?"

"I overheard you and the librarian talking."

"I just need to find Willow. I-If I don't, then there will be one more dead body in the morning."

"You're serious, you actually think you're this vampire killer, you actually believe there are vampires?"

"Just help me find her. I thought I heard her go this way." She rushed off to her left, Jada trotting beside her to keep up. Xander had to run to catch up with her.

"How will you know if you've found her?"

"I just will."

Presently her vision blurred, and her stomach cramped, "He's near," she whispered to Xander.

"What?" he asked, looking at her, "Who?"

"Willow, a-and the guy she's with."

"How do you know?"

"I just do," she snapped at him, "Xander, for once, just trust me." He was silent, so she figured he must. "She's this way," she told him, turning to her left.

"We're in a cemetery," he told her, "There's a crypt nearby…do they always leave the doors open?" he asked.

She gripped his arm even though her 'vision' was starting to become clearer. "I need to get in there," she told him. "Take me there. Now!" she cried when he wasn't moving, tugging on his arm urgently. Finally he started moving towards the dark shape that was forming in her peripheral vision.

At the doorway, she saw her worst nightmare. There were two red bodies, besides the one beside her, and two blue bodies. One of the red bodies was on the floor. She had never faced two vampires before, never faced a single vampire without her safety net.

When had Angel become her safety net?

"What-What's wrong with their faces!" Xander asked, his voice higher pitched than it usually was.

"Looks like our lucky night," a female voice said.

Buffy gave Jada a slight hand signal, letting go of the handle as the dog lay down. Then, playing up her blindness, she stumbled down the steps, drawing everyone's attention to her. "What's going on here?" she asked, running a hand along the rough wall, "Willow, is that you?" she asked.

"B-Buffy, g-get out of here!" Willow cried.

"Willow, it's going to be alright," Buffy said, "What's going on? Where are we? Is there a party, and I wasn't invited?" she asked, moving towards the two blue shapes, trying to wedge herself in between them and the two red shapes. She stumbled over the rough floor, and she heard two people snicker.

"Having trouble seeing?" the same female voice asked.

Her stumbled had brought her closer to the two blue figures, bringing her in between them and their victims. She rolled her eyes so they were aimed at the voice, throwing her fist out lightning fast to hit the woman's face, "Not at all," she told her, pushing the woman back into the other figure. "Xander, get them out of here now!"

"Don't go far," the female called.

"Who the hell are you?" the second figure asked, a male.

"Does it matter? I'm new in town, I just wanted to start over. Be like everybody else. Have some friends, y'know? But now, now I've got some destiny that puts you firmly in my way of having that normal life I've wanted pretty much my entire life!" During her speech, the woman had attacked her while the guy was trying to go around to get to the door, but Buffy kept blocking his way. The woman had tried to return her punch to the face, but Buffy blocked it, throwing a kick into the woman's midsection. As the woman leaned forward, Buffy slammed her elbow into the woman's back.

The guy had gotten around them finally, but now he was faced with Jada. While Darla was picking herself up off the floor, Buffy spun, pulling the stake from her back pocket, slamming it into the blue starburst in the guy's back. He screamed and then her vision exploded.

"Who are you?" Darla cried.

"You don't know?" Buffy asked, her vision still full of blue sparks, blocking everything else from whatever freaky sight she had seemed to gain when she had been punched that first time.

Her vision cleared when a cold hand attached itself to the bad of her neck. "I don't care," the new voice said, and terror shot through her. The next thing she knew, she was flying through the air.

"You were supposed to be bringing an offering for the Master! We're almost at Harvest, and you dally with this child!"

"We had someone," the woman said, fear evident in her voice, "but then she came. She killed Thomas. Luke, she's strong."

"You go. I'll see if I can handle the little girl," the new voice said. She looked up, pushing herself to her knees, as he walked towards her. She saw the female leave, and then her vision was filled with this new guy, this stronger guy. She could hear Jada barking in the background, but she tried to block the noise out as she tried to concentrate.

She was on her feet when he reached her, starting with a double punch, but she ducked, blocking the blue limbs coming her way. She did the thing that came naturally to her, shoving her fist into his stomach, pushing him back with a kick towards his face.

He stepped back, but somehow she knew he wasn't phased by her, "You're strong," he told her, "I'm stronger," he finished his thought as she backed up towards the entrance, where she could hear Jada growling. "You're wasting my time."

"It's not like I didn't have other plans," she retorted. His arms shot out and then something obviously heavy was headed towards her; she heard the grating of stone against stone and cringed. Without thinking, she did a cartwheel to avoid the object, kicking the vampire in the chest. He fell to the ground, and she scrambled to find the stake she had dropped. Suddenly she saw it, a lighter shadow on the dark, hazy ground, and she grabbed for it, lunging at Luke, but he was too quick for her and he grabbed her wrist.

"You think you can stop me, stop us?" he asked her softly. He took the stake from her and she was too afraid to stop him. He broke it in half, flinging it away. He grabbed her by the front of her shirt, and she shied away, "You have no idea what you're dealing with."

He threw her, and she hit her back on something hard, and when she rolled, she fell into the thing, and there were four walls around her, and she was trapped. "'And like a plague of boils, the race of man covered the Earth,'" he told her, "'But on the third day of the newest light would come the Harvest. And the blood of men will flow as wine. When the Master will walk among them once more! The Earth will belong to the old ones. And Hell itself will come to town.'" Luke was right in her face then, and she tried to push him away, not thinking clearly, her terror pushing at her to get as far away as she could. "Amen," he whispered, moving towards her neck as she struggled.

But then he was clear of her vision as he jerked backwards. She took his moment of distraction to get her feet under him and kick outwards, getting him away from her. As he stumbled back, she scrambled out of the box, and ran towards Jada, the dog's red form clear in her vision. She grabbed the harness and kept on running.

Her vision started to blur, but then she heard a roar and then screaming, and as she ran towards the noise, her strange vision cleared again.

"No! Get off!" she heard Willow yell, and she ran faster, trying to save her friend.

"Hey!" she yelled, letting go of Jada as she spotted the blue vampire on the ground, on top of a red figure she guessed to be Willow. The vampire looked up at her as her foot connected with his face, and the momentum sent him rolling off Willow. Then he was up and running, in the other direction.

Willow got to her feet, a bit dazed at what was going on, when she saw Xander being dragged off, "Xander!" she screamed, and Buffy quickly turned to scan the area. There. Two blue figures struggling with one red one. She flew at them, kicking one before tackling the other. As she landed on the ground, a bit of wood dug into her fingers, and she picked it up, jabbing it into the bull's eye on the vampire's chest.

As Buffy dealt with the vampire, Willow rushed to Xander, who had fallen down. "Are you alright?" she asked.

"Man, something hit me," he said, a bit dazed.

"Where's the other one?" Buffy asked, standing. The other vampire had run off. "The other guy."

"I don't know, they surrounded us," Willow said.

"The girl grabbed Jesse and ran off," Xander told her.

"Which way?" she cried, more to herself than them, turning in all directions as her strange vision faded.

"I don't know," Xander said, looking at her strangely as she circled.

"No," she whispered, as she was left in the dark once more.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter Eight

Feedback: A must.

Author's Notes: I'm not going to be following the script explicitly. If there are bits that need changing, then I'll add that scene. Otherwise, just expect everything to have been the same. I might even skip some episodes entirely, just gloss over them. Some things won't be changed that much, besides that she can't really fight yet. And I want to thank everyone for reviewing! You're awesome!

They were in the library, explaining to Willow and Xander what had happened the night before. Xander was taking it better than Willow. And then he asked the question.

"How do you kill them?"

"You don't," Buffy told him, leaving Jada in a down stay under the table, moving around the library with some familiarity. "I do."

"Jesse's my-"

"Jesse's my responsibility," she told him, "I let him get taken."

"That's not true. How did you fight them anyway, you're blind!" Xander said. "The things you did, it was as if you could see them, and that's not possible."

Buffy stayed silent, turning to Giles to tell him about her conversation with Luke. Of course Willow had to ask why they didn't tell the police. And then Giles started talking about tunnels, and Buffy tuned them out. She wasn't liking where this was going. She really didn't want to have to go anywhere by herself that had to do with more than two vampires at a time. And from the sound of this, there were way more than two vampires. This master vampire could have a whole court full of vampires…

And then Willow was on the computer, and they were looking at something or other. Buffy pulled out one of the trashy romance novels her mother didn't know she had, and started reading it, waiting until they realized that the slayer, the person who was going to be doing whatever the hell they were scheming, wasn't involved in the process.

"There's nothing here. It runs under the cemetery, but there's no access," Giles said.

"So this is useless?" Buffy asked, looking up, and Giles must have heard something in her voice.

"Buffy, don't be so-"

"Hard on myself? You were the one that said I wasn't ready to do this stuff on my own. I thought I was golden, I took care of Thomas, and I had that girl, Darla, right where I wanted her, but then he just came out of…" she trailed off, closing her eyes, flashing back to the previous night.

"Buffy?" Giles asked.

"He didn't come out of nowhere. He came from behind me. I was facing the entrance, he came from behind me, and he didn't follow me out. The access to the tunnels is in the mausoleum! The girl must have doubled back with Jesse after I got out! God! I am so mentally challenged!" she cried, frustrated.

"So, what's the plan? We saddle up, right?" Xander asked.

"There is no we. I'm the slayer, you're not. I'm going by myself."

"But you're blind. You can't-"

"Don't you dare tell me what I can and can not do. All my life people have been telling me what I can and cannot do. For once, just once, trust that I know what I _can_ do," she told him.

"Buffy, I'm not inclined to want to go back into that crypt, but I see Xander's point…and I want to do something to help…"

"Then help me," Giles said, and Buffy started tuning them out again. She wandered over to Giles' desk, where she knew he kept extra stakes in the bottom left drawer. She pulled out three, hiding them on her body, before she felt her way out of the smallish office and into the library.

"I'm out of here. If Jesse's alive, I'll bring him back," she told them, patting her leg, signaling Jada to her.

"Buffy…" Giles started, and she turned to him. He sighed at the look on her face, "I don't like you going by yourself. I don't have to tell you to be careful, do I?"

"Don't worry," she said with more confidence than she felt. Then she walked out of the library before she had a chance to change her mind.

Outside, she didn't hear anyone on campus, and she certainly didn't see anyone. If there was anyone, they didn't stop her. Before she knew it, she was back at the Bronze, and then she followed the way they had gone the night before, and she was at the crypt. Her vision was fogging, so she knew before stepping into the crypt that there was a vampire inside. Her stomach cramped, but it wasn't as bad as it had been last night, and there was a tingling at the base of her spine that only happened when…

"I don't suppose you have a key on you, do you?" she asked snidely, turning towards Angel.

"They really don't like me dropping in," he told her, moving out of the shadows; he had forgot they wouldn't hide him from her.

"Why not?" she asked, curiosity getting the better of her.

"They really don't like me," he told her.

"They're not the only ones," she muttered.

"I knew you'd figure out this entrance sooner or later. Actually, I thought it was gonna to be a little sooner."

"Sorry to make you wait," she shot back at him. Then she turned towards the back of the crypt, running her hand along the wall, trying to find an opening.

"Don't…go down there."

"Deal with my going," she told him.

"You shouldn't be putting yourself at risk. Tonight is the Harvest. Unless you can prevent it, the Master walks," he told her, moving towards her.

"Well, if this Harvest thing is such a suckfest, why don't you stop it? Or are you going to be joining in the festivities?" she asked.

"No," he said quietly, "I don't stop it because I'm afraid."

"Well, that makes two of us, doesn't it?" she asked him, spinning to look at him. "I've staked three vampires in my existence, Angel. And you realize there's a very good chance there are three times that amount down there?" she asked him.

"They'll be expecting you," he told her softly.

"I have to go. I have a potential friend down there, an innocent down there. Isn't that what a slayer does, saves innocents? Do you know what it's like to have a friend in danger?" she asked. After a moment, he didn't answer, "That wasn't supposed to be a stumper," she told him quietly.

After a moment of staring at her, he slowly moved her out of the way, breaking the lock on the door, "When you hit the tunnels head east towards the school. That's where you're likely to find them."

"You gonna wish me good luck?" she asked. He didn't say anything. With a sigh, she moved through the open door.

When she was gone, he whispered, "Good luck." As he stared after her, he sighed, swearing under his breath, "Now I do," he muttered, slipping into the tunnel after her.

She was thankful that her vision hadn't gone back to nothing as she slowly descended the stairs that led underground. She heard squeaks and shuffling, and shuddered. She put her hand against the cold, slimy wall and instantly pulled her hand back. Then she turned towards her right, trusting Jada to not let her run into a wall.

All of a sudden, there was a hand on her shoulder. She spun, biting her lip at the blue figure now in front of her.

"Shh," the figure whispered, and she visibly relaxed.

"I thought you were afraid? What are you doing here?" she asked.

"Something stupid," he told her, "I followed you down. I just couldn't let you go to your death alone."

"Gee, thanks for the vote of confidence," she murmured, glaring at him.

"I couldn't let you go on your own," he repeated softly.

She stopped, "Why are you helping me? This isn't some trap, is it?" she asked.

"I…I don't exactly know why I'm helping you. I just know you need help."

"Who told you that lie?" she asked sarcastically.

"A friend."

They walked down the tunnel in silence for a while, her hand once more tucked in the crook of Angel's elbow. With every step she took, her vision cleared even more, even though Angel was the only vampire she could see. And the pain in her stomach got worse and worse, until she was almost hunched over in pain.

"They're close," he murmured.

"How can you tell?" she asked sarcastically, holding her stomach, Jada's leash looped around her wrist.

"No more rats."

He stopped, and she followed suit, "What?" she asked, and then she saw it, a blue figure huddled on the ground. "Jesse?" she called out, hoping to God it wasn't him.

The vampire slowly got to his feet, "Hey, you're that new chick at school, right?" she just nodded, close to tears. "We-we've got to get out of here," he said, "They knew you'd come for me, th-they said I was bait," he lifted his leg so the shackles jingled.

"You can cut the act, we both know you're a vampire," Angel said, and suddenly she felt better having his bulk beside her.

His face changed, though the change had no effect on Buffy at all. Her stomach got worse, and she heard shuffling behind her. Angel spun, letting go of her hand, and she almost sunk to the floor in despair as Jada started growling.

"Fine, than we'll cut to the chase," Jesse said, "We've got you surrounded," he said with a smirk, "I've always wanted to say that."

"Buffy, there are five vampires behind us. They must have followed us," Angel murmured in her ear, "And there's at least two behind Jesse. That's eight to two. We can do it," he murmured.

"But we're trapped, he's right, Angel. You were right. I'm going to die down here. I can't do this! I-I can't even take on two vampires by myself!" she cried, shaking her head in despair.

"No, you can't," he said, switching tactics, his voice becoming hard, taunting, "You're a pathetic blind girl who can't fend for herself and will depend on others for the rest of her life," he told her.

She looked up at him, determination on her face. She looked like she was about to say something when the vampires caught up to them. She spun and side kicked one in the gut, sending him flying backwards. And then she was a blur of motion, kicking and punching anything within her reach. Jada backed herself into a corner and stood there barking as the fight went on.

Angel had staked three vampires before she had staked one, the blue explosions on the edge of her vision distracting her every time. But finally she got an opening and staked the vampire she had been fighting, blue exploding, causing her to step back into Angel.

"You're going to have to tell me how you do it," he whispered to her before he was gone, she could see him, his blue shape tinted with just the slightest bit of red around his chest, before a vampire drew her attention, and she was off fighting again.

When all the vampires had been dispatched, he called Jada to him, who came grudgingly, and giving her the leash, he pulled her towards the way they had come, "Let's go, come on!" he called, "The Master has ties with all his minions, he's going to know they failed." She allowed him to drag her away.

Once they were back at the crypt, he let go of her hand. "You'd better go," he told her.

"What about you? You can't go out there…"

"There are hundreds of miles of piping beneath the town, going pretty much wherever you want. They won't find me," he was silent a moment, "How-How did you fight like that?" he asked.

She ducked her head, "When that first vampire hit me, something…exploded in my head. Now, whenever a vampire's around, I can see. Not like you can, but everything's shadowy, and figures stand out. Vampires have this blue outline," she ran her hand along his arm, "and this blue starburst here," she said, touching his chest lightly, "But yours is tinted with red…I see humans as red," she told him.

He visibly shivered, and he was glad she couldn't see see him. "You should go, there's still an hour or two before dark. Don't forget about the Harvest," he reminded her, before slipping back into the tunnel. She sighed, staring after him until her vision went back to nothing. Then she found the handle to Jada's harness and left.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter Nine

Author's Notes: Thanks to EVERYONE for reviewing! You make writing this story more pleasurable!

I want to thank Howard for his review of this chapter, because he brought to my attention that while this is a nice way to end it, it is very implausible. I took the lazy way out. So I am changing it. Sorry!

Feedback: A must.

She went back to the library, and told Giles what she had learned about the Master and about the upcoming Harvest. He filled in most of the details, having spent his whole day researching. Then she went home to get a few things before meeting Willow, Giles, and Xander at the Bronze. That's where they figured this whole thing would go down.

She didn't know why she didn't tell Giles about Angel. He was a vampire, she shouldn't trust him, she shouldn't feel safe around him, but she did. He was different from other vampires, of that she was certain. She just didn't know how.

Her mother tried to stop her from going to the Bronze. She had asked Willow earlier if she had any cuts or bruises from either fight, and Willow said she didn't. If she did, her mother hadn't noticed. When her mother refused to let her go out, Buffy had put Jada in her pen in the back yard for some 'exercise'. Then she had gone to her room to do homework. Once she was certain her mother wasn't paying any attention to her, she filled a backpack with the stakes Giles had given her before crawling out her window and onto the roof. Her mother had mentioned that a tree grew very close to the house, and they might have to cut some of the branches so they didn't scratch her window at night. She hoped she could figure out how to climb down. She had brought her collapsible cane, and somehow she didn't fall off the roof climbing into the tree.

About halfway down, her vision started to get fuzzy, and she didn't know whether to curse or thank god. She looked down and found the now familiar figure of Angel, with his red tinted frame. She smiled, deciding to thank god for the blessing, before climbing down, using her vamp vision, as she now thought of it, to grab a hold of branches.

"What are you doing?" Angel asked as she jumped down.

"There's the Harvest tonight, I've got to stop it," she told him, as if he didn't already know.

"But why are you climbing down the tree?"

"Because my Mom won't let me out," she told him as if it were obvious.

"And how did you?" he asked.

"Vamp vision," she told him, heading towards the back yard.

"Uh, what about windows?" she stopped, turning towards him. "If your mother doesn't know…what if she sees you out a window?" he asked.

She sighed, "Windows. Foreign concept to the visually impaired," she said softly, thinking, then, she looked up at him, "Could you go get Jada? You can make sure you're not seen."

"Wh-What if you left the dog here? What if your Mom goes to let her in or something?" he asked,

"How would I get to the Bronze?" she asked quietly.

"Do you trust me?" he asked simply.

Without thinking, she nodded, "Though I'm not sure I should," she said, tucking her small hand into the crook.

"We'll have to move fast," he told her, "The Harvest has just about started."

"Don't worry about me, I can keep up."

He rushed her down the streets, always giving her fair warning before he turned or anything, and soon she could faintly hear the music. And then it grew louder and louder. Then he was stopping, and three red figures came towards them.

"Buffy?" she heard Giles ask, and she nodded.

"This is my friend," she told them, "He knows about the slayer gig." She walked over to the door, felt around for the handle, and then pulled. "It's locked," she reported.

"We're too late," Giles said, sounding defeated.

"I didn't know my Mom wasn't going to let me out. Um, isn't there a back entrance, let's try that…" she said, started towards it.

Angel put a hand on her arm, stopping her. His voice low, he said, "There's the roof, element of surprise."

"Okay, you guys try the back entrance, we'll find another way in," she told them.

"Right," Willow and Giles said as one, starting off.

"Wait, guys," she said, before handing her backpack, filled with weapons she had borrowed from Giles, to Willow. "You get the exits clear and the people out. Leave the vampires to me. Don't go wild bunch on me, okay? Okay?"

"We'll see you inside," Willow said, before they headed off.

"This way," Angel said, leading her towards some boxes, "There's a fire escape a bit above these boxes." He helped her climb onto the boxes before climbing up behind her. Then he helped her onto the fire escape. They climbed in silence, and once they reached the roof, he helped her over to the skylights. He broke the window and helped her inside.

Once they were on the catwalk above the club, she turned to him, "You really don't need to treat me like a baby," she told him softly, but her voice was filled with anger, "I'm not an invalid. I can do this on my own!" But then the catwalk shifted, and she lost her balance, falling onto him. She blushed. "Sorry," she murmured, pushing away from him.

"Shh," he murmured, and she as she stared down onto the crowd. She was astounded by all of the red, but what frightened her even more was all of the blue. And then her eye caught a blue figure almost underneath her, all by himself.

"I feel the Master's strength growing!" he said, and she recognized his voice as the vampire who had jumped her in the crypt. "I feel him rising. Every soul brings him closer! I need another!" he cried.

"The vessel," Buffy murmured. She had been unsure how she was going to find the guy. Giles had 'drawn' a picture of the symbol that was supposed to be on his forehead on her palm, but that wouldn't help her find him.

Suddenly she heard a growl from near by, and she turned her head in the direction, seeing a figure in blue.

"Tonight is his ascension. Tonight will be history at its end! Yours is a glorious sacrifice! Degradation most holy. What? No volunteers!" he asked when no body moved.

Buffy heard a scream and looked back. "Here's a pretty one," a vampire said, and she recognized that voice as well. She saw her dragging a human towards the stage.

She looked to the side, and the vampire was advancing on her. Without thinking, she waited until he was close enough, and then she executed the kick Giles had just taught her. She spun, whipped her leg around, and kicked the guy in the head, sending him over the railing to go crashing onto the floor below.

She looked out over the crowd, looking at Luke, "I'm sorry, were you in the middle of something?" she asked.

"You!" Luke cried, and she could tell he was glaring at her. She knew Angel was nearby, but he had disappeared.

"You didn't think I'd miss this, did you?" she asked.

"I hoped you'd come," he told her.

"Be right down," she told him. She moved away from the railing, taking a deep breath. When she was six, she had done gymnastics and had learned how to do a handstand-somersault to get off of the horse thing. But that was ten years ago, and she had never been so high.

Taking a deep breath, she put her hands on the railing, flipping herself up so she was doing a handstand, before she let her body fall towards the ground far below. She twisted herself and landed on a raised platform, scattering some balls. A vampire came at her from her right, and, grabbing a wooden pool cue on the way, she did another flip to get off the table. After the first one, she didn't even think about it. She landed in front of the vampire and stabbed the pool cue deep into his body. The blue lines of his form exploded around her as she let go of the pool cue.

"Okay, vessel boy," she said, taking off her coat so she had better maneuverability, "You want blood?"

"I want yours, only yours!" he said, pushing the girl away.

"Works for me," she told him.

She closed her eyes, taking a deep breath before she performed a cartwheel up onto the stage, immediately launches into a spinning hook kick, so far her favorite kick of the kicks Giles had taught her. Luke staggered into a pile of chairs. Buffy assumed one of the fighter stances Giles had taught her as Luke pushed himself up, growling. He came at her, swinging his fist in a wide arc, but she moved to the side, ducking the punch and came up behind him. He tried to backhand her, but she blocked him, holding onto his arm as she performed three roundhouse kicks to his stomach before he shook loose. She grabbed a stake from the back of her pants and lunged at him. He blocked the lunge, knocking the stake from her hand. He lifted her put by the throat and threw her into a nearby pile of boxes.

Giles, Willow and Xander finally managed to break the heavy door in time to see Buffy falling from the ceiling. The three stared in shock as she performed the acrobatic feats, amazed. Xander rubbed his eyes at one point, wondering if he was really seeing what he thought he saw. But then Giles was motioning for him to go, so he ran to the nearest group of frightened people, "Cone on, come on!" he cried, pulling them towards the exit.

Meanwhile, Buffy kicked herself to her feet, spinning around and landing a backhand punch to Luke's face, knocking him into another pile of stuff. He was dazed, so she momentarily looked around. She noticed a vampire grabbing a hold of Xander. She looked around, seeing something she remembered to be a drum set. A circular disk was within reach. She grabbed it and threw it like a Frisbee. Xander saw the bronze disk coming and ducked. The cymbal decapitated the vampire, and blue lights exploded in her sight.

"Heads up!" she heard Xander say, and she couldn't help but laugh. But then Luke grabbed her from behind.

"I always wanted to kill a slayer," Luke said. "Master, take a taste of this and be free!" he cried. She felt his breath on her neck and slammed her head back into his face. He stumbled back, letting go of her, and she backpedaled, putting some distance between them. She wracked her brain, looking for some way to beat this Luke guy.

As she moved backwards, she tripped over something, and heard something clatter to the ground as she righted herself. Peeking at Luke, still just a tiny bit off balance, she knelt, trying to figure out what had fallen. She felt something that was thin, and felt like wood, but she knew it had not been wood that had fallen. Her fingers then brushed something plastic, and she tried to figure out what the hell had fallen. Then her fingers hit the side of the Braille tape she had stuck on it, and she remembered filling a water bottle from the huge container Giles had. She had stuck it into her sweatshirt after he had yelled at her, and labeled it later during Math class. She had forgotten all about it.

She grabbed the bottle, looking up to see Luke approaching her. She heard the tiniest bit of a growl come from his throat, and almost laughed that he obviously thought he had her. She formed her face into one she thought would show uncertainty- it wasn't as if she could practice her expressions in the mirror- and fumbled with the plastic top as Luke approached. Finally she got the top off, and she pulled on the pop-top as he advanced. When he was right on top of her, she squeezed the plastic, shooting the water at Luke's face. She could almost see the water, a shimmery thing flying at the blue shape, and when it hit, he screamed in pain and rage. His hands flew to his face, and she took the time to pounce. As she dropped the bottle, she reached for the wooden thing, and jammed it into Luke's chest. It didn't go easily, and if she still had her sight she might have realized that drum sticks are dull, but finally it went through and he exploded into ash. She watched, her fascination bordering on morbid, as the blue outline exploded before her eyes, shooting out into the air, before the blue died.

She stood there, staring at where Luke dusted; she saw out of her peripheral vision vampires started to run. Soon, the club was empty except for Xander, Willow, Giles, Buffy, and Angel in the shadows on the catwalk where he had disappeared upon seeing Darla.

"She did it," he murmured to himself, "I'll be damned." Then he slipped out onto the roof, knowing her friends would make sure she got home.

Slowly Buffy's vision faded, and she knew Angel had gone. She sighed, pulling out her collapsible cane and snapping it open, walking over to the edge of the stage. Once there, she felt Giles' and Xander's hands reaching for her, and she allowed them to help her down from the platform.

"I take it it's over," Giles commented as he let go of Buffy's arm.

"Did we win?" Willow asked.

"Well, we averted the Apocalypse. I give us points for that," Buffy said, walking over to the pool table where she threw her jacket, feeling around for it on the felt tabletop.

"Man, Buffy, you were awesome," Xander said, coming up behind her, "If I hadn't seen that, I don't think I would have believed it."

"Yeah, where'd you learn to fight like that? I-I didn't know that, being blind, you could fight like that. You must have super hearing or something like that!" Willow said.

"Nothing will ever be the same again," Xander said.


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter Ten

**Author's Notes**: In this chapter you get to meet my alltime favorite character...

A few weeks after the Harvest, Giles stopped her in the halls. "Buffy, I have an exercise I'd like you to try this afternoon."

"Sorry, Giles, I can't. I've got an appointment."

"Buffy-"

"This appointment is important, Giles. If it goes well, my Mom will have more trust in me, and that will make this slayer thing easier."

"Fine."

"Good. I'll see you Monday morning," she told him, before giving the command to Jada and walking off towards her next class.

That afternoon her mother picked her up right after school; they drove for about forty-five minutes before her mother pulled onto a gravel drive. They bounced along for a few minutes before her mother stopped the car and turned it off.

"Are you sure this is the right thing to do?" her mother asked; she had been having doubts about the whole thing ever since Buffy set up the appointment two weeks ago.

"Yes, Mom. Then you won't have to worry about me being out by myself. Jada will be able to protect me," she told her.

Her mother nodded, turning to open the door. Buffy waited for her mother to say something, but once she heard the opening of the door, she sighed, turning to open her own door.

The cutting of the engine alerted someone to their presence, and as they got out of the car, a large Golden Retriever came bounding out from behind the house. It barked at them, and hearing the barking, Buffy decided to leave Jada in the car. As the dog bounded towards them, she stayed still, leaning up against the car, hoping the dog was friendly. Her mother pressed herself against the car, afraid of the barking dog.

"Sili, non, opied," a voice said, and the barking stopped. "Assis. Pas bouger," the voice said, and then Buffy heard crunching of gravel. "Hi, you must be Buffy Summers," the voice said, and Buffy smiled, holding out her hand. The woman took it and shook it firmly, "I'm Ashlei Knox, it's nice to finally meet you. And this must be Jada," the woman said, "she is gorgeous." Then she moved away, and Buffy heard Ashlei introducing herself to her mother.

"Is it okay to let Jada out?" Buffy asked.

"Of course. Sili won't bother her none. She's just not used to visitors on Friday. Generally the training group comes up Saturday morning. We have twenty five acres of forest here," she explained, "We use it for both Search and Rescue work and French Ring Sport. And while I have never worked with a guide dog, I am ecstatic to get the chance.

"Now, on the phone, you said you were interested in personal protection?" she asked.

Buffy nodded, "Yes. My Mom's uncomfortable with me being out at night by myself, and though I think that a German Shepherd deters people, I want her to be at ease," Buffy smiled in the direction her mother had been last.

"I just don't like her being out by herself. You never know when someone will think that a blind girl will be an easy target. I-I just don't want anything happening to her," her mother defended herself.

"That's fine," Ashlei said, "Though you do have a choice. I don't know if you're interested, but there are two dog sports that train protection a bit differently. If you wanted to try French Ring Sport, they use a suit, a thickly padded nylon suit, to train the dogs to bite. If you want to try Shutzhund, like police dogs, they are trained on just an arm or leg sleeve; the only difference between the sport and police dogs are with police dogs the sleeve is hidden. It's not that hard to train a dog for both sports, but the choice is up to you.

"I confess, I'm not just looking forward to working with you, but I'm trying to convert you into a dog person. There will be some problems, for some things you need to see, to recall the dog as an example, but we can get around that."

"I think we just-"

"I'd like to hear more about these sports," Buffy interrupted her mother.

"French Ring Sport is, obviously, a sport originating in France. There are four levels, Brevet, and then Ring One, Two and Three, each level being harder than the last. There are three different sets of exercises, Obedience, Agility and Personal Protection. A sample Obedience exercise would be walking around cones, stopping and sitting when told. A sample agility exercise would be jumping over the palisade, a wall is usually only about six feet. And an example of personal protection, or bite work as we call it, would be the Flee Attack, where the decoy, the man wearing the suit, runs away, and the dog chases after him.

"Shutzhund is a bit different, they also compete in tracking. A track is laid, up to two hoursbefore the dog sees itfor Shutzhund Three, with multiple turns and cross tracks, where someone else has walked over the track you're supposed to be following. The dog has to follow only the scent you're supposed to be following, down at all scent articles, generally a piece of leather dropped by the track layer, and not wander off.

"Uh…" Buffy tried to absorb it all, "I think for right now we should just stick to teaching her to protect me. Maybe we'll try a sport later.

"That's fine. Come this way and we'll get started." Her mother helped her follow the woman onto what her mother told her was a wide field. "I asked my friend Gabby to help us today, since this is your first time. She is going to help you handle Jada," Ashlei told her, introducing her friend. Then they took of Jada's halter, put on a flat collar, and attached a nylon leash to it.

"Okay, you need to have a wide base of support," Gabby said, "I'm going to move your legs into a better stance." Buffy nodded, and she felt the woman moving first her right leg and then her left outward, so she was standing with her feet a little wider than her shoulders. "Now you hold the leash like this," Gabby said, rearranging her grip on the leash. "Now I'm going to stand behind you while Ashlei teases Jada with a tug toy. The leash is going to go taut, so be ready for it."

But when Jada ran to the full length of the six-foot lead, she almost pulled Buffy forward if it hadn't been for her new slayer strength. Immediately, Jada began to bark and growl.

"That's desired behavior," Gabby told her, "so you want to praise that. We're trying to work on her play and praise drive. But never call her by name, or you'll distract her," she said in her ear. "Good girl!" she then cried, "Get it," she called.

Buffy felt Jada lunging at the end of the leash and started rocking back and forth, keeping tension in the lead.

"Okay, now Ashlei's going to let Jada bite the tug," Gabby said after a few minutes. "Maybe next time we'll work her up to the sleeve," she said, excited.

The session was kept short, then they put Jada back in the car for a little bit. Ashlei explained that they would do one more session, they just wanted Jada to rest for about twenty minutes. So they talked. Well, Ashlei talked, mostly about the different dog sports, and about the search and rescue work she had done over the years.

When she and her mother climbed into the jeep to go home, Buffy could tell by her mother's voice that she was optimistic. This just might work. And maybe now she'd have the freedom that she craved.


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter Eleven

**Feedback**: A must.  
**Author's Notes**: I'm skipping to the episode Angel. All of the episodes happened, though things will obviously have changed slightly. She also learns that her vamp vision works on other demons, like the preying mantis lady, but not on human beings, like Amy's mother. While she had her suspicions about Miss French, no one else would believe her that she was a demon until after Xander got taken. She did go out on a date with Owen. He seems like he kind of guy that would be nice enough to do something like that. The only thing, Buffy had actually read Emily Dickinson, giving them something to talk about.  
**Author's Notes 2**: Sorry about the long no-update, Summer has been really busy for me... and I don't know when I will find the time to work on this again, since I'm going on vacation, and then I'm going to college...I'll try to get updates up here though...

Almost a month after the Harvest, Buffy was at the Bronze with Willow. She had been letting her mother run the show, and going to training with Ashlei twice a week, so finally her mother was starting to loosen up, like allowing her to go to the Bronze most evenings.

"Ah, the fumigation party," Willow said, sitting at a table across from Buffy.

"Hm?" Buffy said, lost in her own thoughts. Things had been going especially well lately, but things were still off…missing.

"It's an annual tradition. The closing of the Bronze for a few days to nuke the cockroaches?" Willow explained.

"Oh," she murmured.

"It's a lot of fun... What's it like where you are?" Willow asked.

Buffy shook herself, turning her face towards her friend, "I'm... sorry, I was just... thinking about things..." she trailed off with a small smile.

"So, we're talking about a guy?" Willow asked.

Buffy smiled at her friend, at her naivety. While Owen had been willing to go out with a girl who couldn't see him, not many guys were willing to date a blind chick. "Not exactly a guy. For us to have a conversation about a guy, there'd have to be a guy for us to have a conversation about. Is that a sentence?"

"You lack a guy," Willow said.

"I do. Which is fine with me, most of the time. I mean, I've never had a steady boyfriend. Owen was the first guy who ever asked me out that wasn't interested in bragging to his friends that he kissed 'Blind Buffy'," she moved her eyes away from Willow… "But now…"

"What about Angel?" Willow asked, and Buffy blushed slightly, knowing her friend didn't know the whole Angel story, besides that he seemed to be stalking her.

"Angel? I can just see him in a relationship. 'Hi, honey, you're in grave danger. I'll see you next month.'"

"He's not around much, it's true," Willow conceded.

"But when he is around..." she searched for an analogy her friend would understand, "it's like the lights dim everywhere else," she said, wiping the dreamy look off her face, knowing the thoughts she was entertaining were so far off from the norm that they couldn't ever happen. She could not entertain such thoughts.

"Oh, yeah, with some guys it's like that," Willow said, looking over to where Xander was making a fool out of himself. Buffy sighed, and Willow echoed her sigh. They sat there in their own thoughts until Xander came up to them.

"Boy, that Cordelia is a regular breath of vile air. What are you vixens up to?" he asked, sliding into the seat between Buffy and Willow. He reached down and ran his hand along Jada's head. The dog looked up, licking his hand. He slipped his hand into his pocket and snuck the dog a treat. Jada belly crawled closer to Xander's chair.

"Just sitting here, watching our barren lives pass us by," Willow said, looking down, "Oh, look, a cockroach." She squished it with her shoe.

"Whoa, well, let's stop this crazy whirligig of fun! I'm dizzy!" Xander joked, giving Jada another pat.

"Alright, now I'm infecting those nearest and dear to me. I'm gonna call it a night," she said, standing. She reached for Jada's harness handle, but it wasn't there. She bent to find it.

"Oh, don't go!" Willow cried.

"Uh, yeah!" Xander said, "It's early! We could, um, dance!"

"Rain check?" she asked, distracted by trying to find the harness handle. Her hand bumped something warm, "Sorry," she said as her hand hit the handle.

"No big, just a leg," Xander said, his voice sounding weird.

"Good night," she said, leaving. As she walked by the stairs, her vision started to cloud. She stopped, turning, but it faded back into nothing, so she continued towards the door, being jostled by people on all sides. She figured it was Angel. During the most random times her vision would fog, and then fade to nothing, and oddly enough, she found it comforting.

When she got outside, her vision started to fog again, and she stopped. Jada, at her side as always, growled, but she no longer needed Jada to let her know when a vampire was near. She was training with Giles every afternoon, and patrolling almost every evening when her mother would let her out of the house. Things had gotten easier over the last month or so, at least slaying wise. But Angel wise…

Her stomach reacted to the nearness of the vampire, and she knew it wasn't Angel, though she had a feeling that he was following her, watching her. She had started to trust her instincts more, even if the others hadn't.

"It's late, I'm tired, and I don't wanna play games. Show yourself," she said to the darkness as her vision cleared. She quickly scanned the area ahead of her, looking for the telltale signs of vampires.

Suddenly a roar filled the air, and she heard something thud behind her. She spun to see a rather large vampire there. She grabbed for the stake in her jacket pocket, but as she brought her hand back to stake the vampire, something cold grabbed her wrist. She shifted her head to the side and saw a second vampire holding her wrist. And then another one appeared on her other side, grabbing her other wrist. They pulled her into a nearby alley as she fought their grip in her wrists. She heard two sets of growls and the ripping of fabric at one point in time, and knew Jada had bitten one of the vampires.

"Okay, okay... Look, I really don't wanna fight all three of you... unless I have to," she told them. While she still hadn't fought more than two at a time, the training Giles helped her with was paying off, and she knew it. She was more confident in herself, but these three vampires were strong, she didn't know if she could take on all three at once.

While the two holding onto her arms pulled her back against a fence, the original one came up on front of her. Once he was near enough, she picked up one of her feet and threw it at the junction between the vampire's legs. Then she yanked on her arm, taking the one on her left by surprise, and she elbowed him. Her arm free, she threw it at the other vampire, holding onto her right side. But he blocked the technique, thrusting his knee into her gut. She hunched over, the air leaving her lungs in one foul swoop, and then the vampire's hands were on her again, slamming her against the fence as her lungs burned. The other one grabbed her again, and the original vampire started for her again, somehow she knew his gaze was on her neck. She struggled against the tight hold, but then the vampire grabbed her hair, jerking her head to the side.

All of a sudden, there was another vampire behind the first, but he was tinged in purple, not blue, and she felt relief as the other vampire was dragged off her.

"Good dogs don't bite," he growled, punching the vampire. Using the distraction that Angel caused, she used the support of the two vampires holding on to her arms to swing both of her feet up to kick them at the same time. One of them managed to grab hold of her again, but the other was engaged by Angel, who spun and punched him. The one that had a hold of her slammed her against the fence again. And then another pulled something out of somewhere.

"Look out!" she yelled, watching as the figure she knew to be Angel spun, only to catch the bar or whatever in his chest. She threw her palm at the vampire holding her, catching him under the chin, pushing him off her. Then she punched him once on the gut and then slammed both fists into his head as he fell to the ground. She looked up to see Angel hunched over, with one of the other vampires leaning over him, the one with the weapon. Without thinking, she took a short step, throwing her foot out into a sidekick that connected with the vampire's face, and he fell back. She ran to Angel, helping him to stand.

"Run!" she yelled, pulling on his arm, before whistling for Jada. They ran out of the alley, her footsteps certain from fear as she could hear the three vampires getting up and following them.

Fear put speed to her feet, and they didn't catch them as they ran down the empty streets towards her house. She lost track of where they were going, and she was willing to let Angel take over. Before she knew it, he was helping her up the steps to her porch as fast as he could.

"Get in, come on!" she cried, struggling with the door handle in her fear. He pushed her hands away, opening the door smoothly and ushering them both inside as if it were his house and not her own. Jada slid in as she helped him slam the door. After it was closed, she leaned against it, next to him.

"It's alright," he told her, "A vampire can't come in unless it's invited."

She pointed her face up towards his, "I've heard that, but I've never put it to the test," she told him, then she remembered his wound. "I'll go get some bandages, just…just take off your jacket and shirt," she told him, before turning away. She headed through the dining room and into the kitchen, remembering her mother telling her there was a first aid kit under the sink.

"That's really not-" he started.

"It's the least I can do," she said, feeling for the first aid kit. This extra sense she seemed to have while a vampire was present was weird, she hadn't exactly gotten used to being able to see shadows of things. "I was lucky you came along," she said, pushing herself to her feet, "How did you happen to come along?" she asked.

"I live nearby. I was just out walking," he said. She set the first aid kit on the counter, snapping open the lid and feeling inside for the correct dressings. Her mother had helped her label all of the items in the case, now that she was working later, and she was allowing Buffy to stay home alone for an hour or two at a time.

"So, you weren't following me?" she asked, pulling out some gauze. Then she turned to him, lightly running her fingers along his chest. Now that she looked, she could see that something was wrong, the area looked different in her sight. A shiver ran down her spine as she touched his skin, but she fought it, "I-I just had this feeling you were," she finished lamely.

"Why would I do that?" he asked, and she heard a smile on his lips.

"You tell me. You're the Mystery Guy that appears out of nowhere. I'm not saying I'm not happy about it tonight, but…if you are hanging around I'd like to know why you're helping me, when my job is to kill your kind."

"Maybe I like you," he said, and she could hear the smile on his lips again.

She bit her lip, smiling up at him, "Maybe..."

She was staring up at him, wondering what he looked like and what it would be like to have him kiss her, thoughts she had been having a lot these past few weeks, when she heard the door open. As fast as she could without giving away her sight or her slayer strength, she rushed to the door, pulling her Mom inside and closing the door firmly behind her. She wanted to check out the window that she knew to be nearby, but she knew that would give it away.

"Hi! What are you doing?" her mother asked.

"There's a lot of weird people outside at night..." she said, hoping that would be explanation enough.

"Did something happen?" her mother asked, whipping around to look at her.

"No, no. Just…Willow reads the newspaper out loud during lunch. Been some creepy happenings," she said. Her mother looked at her a moment, before starting towards the kitchen. "...I just feel better with you safe and sound inside. You must be beat," she said, trying to get her mother's attention.

"I am. We're a little gallery. You have no idea how much..." her mother started.

"Well, then why don't you go upstairs and get into bed, and I can bring you some hot tea?" Buffy interrupted her.

"That's sweet!" her mother said. Then she turned back to her, looking over her daughter with suspicious eyes, "What'd you do? Or what do you want?"

"Can't a daughter just be concerned about her mother?" she asked, "You've done so much for me over the years, can't I want to pay you back?"

Just then she felt a tingle run up her spine. She tried not to roll her eyes, frustrated at Angel's bad timing.

"Hi," her mother said.

"Hi," Angel repeated.

"Oh! Okay... Um... A-Liam, uh, this is my Mom. Mom, this is Liam. Uh, we ran into each other on the way home," she said. "I wasn't paying attention, got kind of lost, he helped me get here safe and sound," she said, knowing her mother would think better of the man-vampire if she thought he were helping her.

"Nice to meet you," her mother said, holding out her hand. Buffy watched through her strange vision as Angel took her mother's hand and shook it, firmly.

"What do you do, Liam?" Joyce asked, looking up at him. Buffy never realized he was so tall before now.

"He's a student," Buffy supplied. She knew her mother wasn't going to believe that, so she thought fast, "Uh, first year community college. Angel's been helping me with my history, you know I've been toiling there," she told her Mom.

"It's a little late for tutoring. Thank you for helping Buffy get home safely, and nice meeting you, but um, I'm gonna go to bed, and, uh, Buffy?" her mother asked.

"I'll say good night and do the same," she said, following her mother up the stairs with her sight.

She went to the door, pulling it open cautiously, looking out to see if she saw anything, nothing was there. She called goodnight, before closing the door and leading Angel up to her room. She didn't know why she was doing this, it wasn't as if he couldn't take care of himself. Maybe she felt guilty about getting him hurt.

"Look, I don't wanna get you in any more trouble..." he started, his voice a bare whisper.

"And I don't wanna get you dead. They were really strong, if you hadn't come along….Besides, they could still be out there," she told him, trying to convince herself of the same thing. She moved into the room more, then stopped, "So, uh, oh... two of us, one bed. That doesn't work," she turned to him, "Um, why don't you take the bed? Y'know, you're wounded..."

"I'll take the floor," he told her, passing up on the chance to tell her that he was already dead.

"Uh, no, that's not..." she started, trying to come up with a plausible argument, but sleeping on the floor wasn't all that appetizing…

"Oh, believe me, I've had worse," he told her, his voice smooth, reassuring.

"Okay. Um, then why don't you check and see if the Fang Gang is still loitering and, um, keep your back turned while I change?" she asked, blushing.

He wanted to ask how she would know if he did, but he was too much of a gentleman, and she looked so cute, standing there, her cheeks stained red. For a brief instant, he wanted to know where that blush ended, if it just stained her cheeks, or if it went further-

He spun, going to the window, keeping his gaze firmly outside until he heard her okay.

"I don't see them," he told her to cover the suddenly uncomfortable silence.

"What's your excuse?" she asked suddenly.

"What?" he asked.

"Well, I'm this slayer thing. I have to fight them. Why do you go against everything you are to kill them?"

"Uh, somebody has to," he told her, not yet ready to take the chance that she would understand about his soul. She seemed to trust him, but the whole thing seemed laughable to him, and he was living it.

"Well, what does your family think of your career choice?" Then she blushed, "God, that was insensitive…"

He didn't say anything for a moment, then, "They're dead."

"I'm sorry," she said, putting a hand on his arm. His gaze swung from the outside world to her face.

"It was a long while ago. Y-you even look pretty when you go to sleep," he told her softly.

"Well, when I wake up it's an entirely different story," she laughed, uncomfortable, blushing, and he could see more of the blush now that she was wearing a tank top. More than ever did he want to find out where that blush ended.

She turned from him, and he followed her to her bed. She pulled off the comforter, handing it to him. "Here. Sleep tight," she said, lacking something wittier to say.

As he got settled, she climbed into her bed. As she fluffed her pillows, she suddenly felt shy and uncomfortable. She hadn't had a sleep over in years. All of a sudden she wasn't sure if this was the right thing to do.

"Angel?" she asked.

"Hmm?" he looked up at her, where she was perched on the mattress.

"I-If I…If I snore, could you let me know? It's been a long time since anybody's been in a position to let me know…" she trailed off.

"Of course," he said. She smiled as she lay down, settling in to sleep.


End file.
